Posts Tagged ‘Daphne-Zuniga’

March 30: Jonah (Michael Rady) plans a big party in the Melrose courtyard to celebrate the sale of his script. Little does he realize his shindig will be the site where some long-simmering secrets will come to a boil. David (Shaun Sipos) is still trying to find out why Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen) dumped him, but she’s not confiding in anyone, not even Ella. Michael (Thomas Calabro) makes things worse for Lauren by pressuring her into making good on their aborted “date.” In what has to be the blondest episode of Melrose to date, several original Melrose Place residents make return visits. Guest Blonde Jane Andrews (Josie Bissett), still steaming over Resident Blonde Ella’s switcheroo of her designer gown on a movie star at a movie premiere in the fall, demands to know why Bitchy Blonde Amanda has yet to fire her from WPK. Amanda (Heather Locklear) assures her that Ella will soon get her comeuppance. At Coal, David is preparing to cater Jonah’s party when New Blonde Morgan (Melissa Ordway) surprises him with a watch she stole from her mobster dad. When David tries to squirm out of her eager come-ons, she tightens the collar around his neck by threatening to tell her scary pop about David’s theft of her mom’s diamond ring. The girl gives new meaning to the term demanding. Drew (Nick Zano) convinces Riley (Jessica Lucas) to help him shop for toys for the pediatric patients at the hospital and charms her slowly but surely. Jonah’s not sure he likes what’s developing between the two.

Amanda and Michael's schemes caused havoc for the Melrosers.

“Punch Drunk”

At WPK, Ella (Katie Cassidy) notices that some billing figures on her accounts aren’t adding up correctly and starts checking up on her projects. Dropping in on Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga) during a photo shoot for W Magazine, she learns that a check to Jo was overstated by ten times in the WPK books! Is someone framing Ella for embezzlement? Speaking of Amanda (wink, wink), the Empress of WPK tries a new tack in tracking down the artwork that may dig her out of the money hole she’s in. Hoping to loosen lips among the Melrosers, she generously tips the bartender at Jonah’s party to give the guests especially potent drinks while she pumps them for information one by one. Her plan works better than expected as Melrosers past and present overindulge in bad behavior. Jonah challenges Drew to a game of beer pong and the inebriated duo end up duking it out over Riley in the Melrose pool (where else?). A reunion of original residents Jo, Jane, Michael and Amanda is a tepid affair. “Let’s do it again in ten years,” says Amanda. Let’s not. At least Jane is smart enough to reject a horny Michael, who stalks Lauren so relentlessly that she breaks down and confesses her hooking career to her neighbors. David is aghast. Ella, meanwhile, confides in Amanda that she thinks there’s an embezzler at WPK and later overhears Jo confronting Amanda about being the culprit. Amanda interrupts Morgan’s latest mauling of David to pump him for more information about Sydney’s missing art and he gives her a new lead: Syd gave one of her pieces (among other things) to Auggie. The next morning, Lauren confesses her love to an unresponsive David while Drew sneaks into the hospital morgue to slice into a rather handsome cadaver (this is the CW Network, after all). Organ harvesting, anyone? Amanda summons Ella to WPK and lowers the boom on her by accusing her of embezzlement. Ella had better think of something quick, because, as Amanda puts it, “You, my dear, do not have the curves to pull off a prison jumpsuit.”

Are Jo, Michael and Jane anticipating a bitchy welcome from Amanda? Is the Pope Catholic?

Fans of the original Melrose Place will finally get what they’ve been waiting for on the March 30 episode — a reunion of Melrosers Josie Bissett (Jane), Daphne Zuniga (Jo), Thomas Calabro (Michael) and Heather Locklear (Amanda). From the looks of the photo The CW Network posted to its website and the Melrose Facebook page, the reunion is going to be a happy one. The veterans will probably share a laugh over the dramas of the newbies and will reminisce about the good old days. Were the ’90s really that long ago? Josie strikes me as the most well preserved among the ladies, but then I think she’s one of the younger cast members from the original crew. Ella (Katie Cassidy) and Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen) look dressed to kill while Drew (Nick Zano) and Riley (Jessica Lucas) cozy up in the Melrose pool. Does Drew own any shirts, anyway? For more preview pics, visit the CW’s Melrose site here.

Melrose Place has only four episodes left to prove itself worthy of renewal for another season so fans need to rise up and be counted! I’m doing my best to put Melrose out into the blogosphere and encourage fans to post pictures on Facebook and watch the fun YouTube tribute videos. Melrose fans may not yet be as numerous as American Idol followers, but we’re certainly creative. As it happens, I’m trying to go viral and spread the Melrose love with my own tribute video on YouTube focusing on those romantic entanglements of our favorite Melrosers. Ella fans should be pleased. Plenty of fashion shots to ogle. LOL. With apologies to Lady Gaga, it’s called Melrose Place’s Bad Romances and can be seen here.

TV Guide is usually pretty upbeat in its coverage of Melrose Place, but next week’s issue has a behind-the-scenes photo feature with commentary from cast member Stephanie Jacobsen (Lauren) that leads one to think the mood on the set was bittersweet during filming of the season’s final six episodes. The episodes, which begin their run March 9, include a reunion of original Melrosers Jo (Daphne Zuniga) and Jane (Josie Bissett) with the ever-rascally Michael (Thomas Calabro). I’m sure Amanda will come on the scene to offer a bitchy remark or two for old times’ sake. Let’s just hope there will be more Melrose alumni reunions to come next season. Meanwhile, here’s a scan of the article with shots of Melrose faves old and new. It’s on page 16.

Riley's first day as a model didn't run smoothly despite Ella's uncharacteristic support.

Flirting with Disaster

There were enough love triangles forming on the October 20 episode to give one a case of vertigo. The day started on a positive note with Melrose lovebirds Riley and Jonah anticipating major career breaks. Jonah’s meeting with a famous movie director at Paramount Studios gets bumpy when the auteur changes practically the entire concept of Jonah’s short film. Disaster was averted when he met the director’s bespectacled development executive Kendra, who liked his film just the way it was and invited him to a friendly drink. Jonah gently turns her down despite her flirtatious removal of her brainy glasses. Does Ella have a new rival to worry about?

Will a hurt Jonah (Michael Rady) cheat on Riley with the sexy film exec Kendra?

Riley’s first day working as a jeans model for Ella’s client Anton V didn’t run smoothly. She was star struck upon meeting famous photographer (and former Melrose resident) Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga), being familiar with Jo’s moving photographs of starving children in Africa. Jo was less impressed by Riley’s stiff, amateurish posing. Fans expecting the famously caring Jo of the old Melrose were probably disappointed, at first, to find a jaded shutterbug show up in her place. Ella, working a Joan Collins-inspired fashion statement, stepped in to defend Riley, for once, berating Jo for pushing the newbie too hard. Her support was short-lived, however, when Riley cracked under the pressure of Jo’s jarring coaxing to free her inner temptress and stormed off the set. Jo later stopped by the Melrose courtyard to admit that she, like Riley, wasn’t being true to herself by shooting shallow fashion spreads and was flying off to document the hunger epidemic in Latin America. Riley likewise confided that Jo had opened her eyes to some suppressed desires. Could those desires include Auggie (Colin Egglesfield)? Sharing a cup of tea with the Augster to vent over her failed photo shoot — to a brooding Violet’s chagrin — didn’t go over well with Jonah, who learned from Auggie that Riley had smooched him under the influence of wine. Jonah blows up at Auggie and Riley. Auggie cools off by helping Violet assemble her new bed, which is a sign of things to come, she hopes. Taking a walk to cool off, Jonah meets movie-producer-chick Kendra for drinks after all. At least Riley still has the Anton V gig.

The impending return of Heather Locklear to Melrose Place as Amanda has gotten the lion’s share of coverage in recent days, but there’s another Melrose veteran visiting this week to help the youngsters work through their drama. Daphne Zuniga, the dark-haired beauty who played New York photographer Jo Reynolds, appears on Tuesday’s episode as part of Riley’s new modeling storyline. Jo arrives to shoot the Anton V campaign and will no doubt give Riley some helpful advice as she navigates the world of high fashion. Riley (Jessica Lucas) isn’t very comfortable slipping into the role of sexy mannequin, despite her va-va-voom curves and exotic beauty. She’s under a lot of pressure with Jonah having financial trouble and her nagging attraction to Auggie (Colin Egglesfield). Jo, who played a maternal role of sorts among her wreckless neighbors back in the ’90s, has a habit of looking after models. When the Melrose producers attempted a spinoff about models called Models Inc., Jo made a crossover appearance to help one of the troubled models being tormented by an abusive boyfriend. On Melrose she also tried to offer Sydney a friendly ear when she was secretly working as a call girl. Here’s a great clip from YouTube that shows one such scene where Jo attempts to get a very young Sydney to come clean. Notice how much Syd looks like Violet, not to mention that she wasn’t as lucky as Lauren in getting handsome johns. Thanks to karygirl82isback for posting the great footage. Jo’s return may not have the fireworks Amanda will surely bring, but it will be good to see her again. She was one of the good ones.